Shawnee shocked South Jersey when the Renegades won the Tournament of Champions on Nov. 18 at the College of New Jersey. Shawnee, the South Jersey Group 3 titlist, defeated Oak Knoll, the North 1 Group 1 champ, 3-0.

Oak Knoll, the little engine that could, had derailed powerful Eastern, 3-2, in overtime in a TOC semifinal four days earlier, making headlines throughout the state. The Royals from Summit stopped Eastern\’s 204-game winning streak against New Jersey teams, which spanned nine years.

While the defeat was a crushing blow to Eastern, Shawnee\’s victory was a crowning glory for the players on the field and in lineups to come.

The Greyhounds opened each of the last two years with Absegami and St. Joseph in the first two weeks. Absegami was runner-up in South Jersey Group IV before opening with Pleasantville two years ago and was the defending South Jersey Group IV champion before last year\’s opener. The Wildcats won the state Non-Public II coming into 2006 and 2007.